Princess Victoria’s (Royal Irish Fusiliers)

The regiment was often known by its traditional name of the “Faugh-a-Ballaghs”.

Battalions of the Regular Army

1st Battalion
August 1914 : at Shorncliffe. Under command of 10th Brigade in 4th Division. Moved to York and on 18 August to Harrow.
23 August 1914 : landed at Boulogne.
3 August 1917 : transferred to 36th (Ulster) Division and on 24 August to 107th Brigade.
8 February 1918 : transferred to 108th Brigade in same Division.

2nd Battalion
August 1914 : at Quetta in India. Returned to UK, arriving at Winchester on 20 November 1914, where it came under orders of 82nd Brigade in 27th Division.
19 December 1914 : landed at Le Havre.
Moved to Salonika, arriving in early December 1915.
2 November 1916 : transferred to 31st Brigade in 10th (Irish) Division.
September 1917 : moved to Egypt for service in Palestine.

3rd (Reserve) Battalion
August 1914 : at Armagh. A depot/training unit, it moved on mobilisation to Lough Swilly and then Londonderry. Moved to Buncrana in April 1915, going on to Clonmany in November 1816. Moved to England in April 1918, going to Rugeley. Absorbed the 4th (Extra Reserve) and 10th (Reserve) Battalions. Finally moved in July 1918 to Bawdsey.

4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion
August 1914 : at Cavan. A depot/training unit, it moved on mobilisation to Belfast and then to Carrickfergus. Went on to Dublin in April 1916 and Ballincollig in November 1917. Moved to England in April 1918, going to Rugeley and being absorbed into 3rd (Reserve) Bn.

The badge of the regiment as depicted on a CWGC grave headstone. Image courtesy of the Martin WFA collection at flickr.com, with thanks.

Battalions of the Territorial Force

As the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act of 1907 did not call for the creation of TF units in Ireland, the regiment had no TF battalions.

Battalions of the New Armies

5th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Armagh in August 1914 as part of K1 and came under command of 31st Brigade in 10th (Irish) Division.
April 1915 : moved to Basingstoke.
7 July 1915: embarked at Liverpool and sailed to Gallipoli via Mudros. Landed Suvla Bay 7 August 1915.
October 1915 : moved via Mudros to Salonika.
2 November 1916 : absorbed the 6th Battalion.
September 1917 : moved to Egypt for service in Palestine.
30 April 1918 : left the Division and sailed from Port Said, arriving Marseilles 27 May.
23 July 1918 : came under command of 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division.
24 August 1918 : transferred to 48th Brigade in 16th (Irish) Division and absorbed 11th Bn.

Troops of the 5th Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers (10th Irish Division) in the trenches of Gallipoli. Imperial War Museum image Q13444

6th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Armagh in August 1914 as part of K1 and came under command of 31st Brigade in 10th (Irish) Division.
Record same as 5th Battalion.
2 November 1916 : absorbed into the 5th Battalion.

7th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Armagh in September 1914 as part of K2 and came under command of 49th Brigade in 16th (Irish) Division. Moved to Tipperary. Moved to England in September 1915, going to Pirbright.
February 1916 : landed in France.
15 October 1916 : amalgamated with 8th Battalion to form 7/8th Battalion.
10 February 1918 : disbanded in France.

8th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Armagh in September 1914 as part of K2 and came under command of 49th Brigade in 16th (Irish) Division. Moved to Tipperary. Record same as 7th Bn.
15 October 1916 : amalgamated with 8th Bn to form 7/8th Bn.

9th (Service) Battalion (County Armagh)
Formed in Belfast in September 1914 from the Armagh, Monaghan and Cavan Volunteers. Came under orders of 108th Brigade in 36th (Ulster) Division.
Moved in November 1914 to Belfast and on to Newtownards in February 1915.
July 1915 : moved to Seaford.
October 1915 : landed at Le Havre.
25 September 1917 : absorbed two dismounted squadrons of the North Irish Horse and retitled 9th (North Irish Horse) Bn.

10th (Reserve) Battalion
Formed at Lurgan in September 1915 as a Reserve Battalion, from depot companies of 9th Bn. Moved to Newtownards in January 1916 and on to Armagh in August. Moved to England in April 1918, going to Rugeley where absorbed by 3rd (Reserve) Bn.

Other Battalions

11th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Greatham (West Hartlepool) on 1 June 1918. On 18 June, it absorbed the cadre of the 7th Bn, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
28 June 1918 : moved to Aldershot and came under orders of 48th Brigade in 16th (Irish) Division.
Late in July 1918, landed in France.
29 August 1918 : absorbed by the 5th Bn.

1st Garrison Battalion
Formed in Dublin in September 1915 and moved to India in February 1916.

2nd Garrison Battalion
Formed in Dublin in April 1916 and moved to Templemore in May. Moved to Salonika in August 1916 and between March and August 1917 was under command of 228th Brigade in 28th Division.

3rd (Reserve) Garrison Battalion
Formed in Dublin around December 1916. Moved to Bere Island in April 1917, on to Seaton Carew in May 1918, and Greatham in June 1918. By October was at Castle Eden as part of the Tees Garrison.

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